Thomas was publisher at The Light

Updated 10:24 am, Wednesday, June 21, 2017

William C. “Bill” Thomas served as publisher of the San Antonio Light in the 1980s.

William C. “Bill” Thomas served as publisher of the San Antonio Light in the 1980s.

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Thomas was publisher at The Light

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William C. “Bill” Thomas, publisher of the San Antonio Light in the 1980s and a former executive of the Hearst Corp., was heavily involved in local philanthropy during his long career in the newspaper industry.

Thomas, 90, died at his Alabama home while suffering from pneumonia, said his daughter, Susan King.

He often attributed his success to a course he once took that taught the principles advanced in “How to Win Friends and Influence People,” by Dale Carnegie — one of the first best-selling self-help books, initially published in 1936, his daughter said. The course taught ways to convey values such as honesty, enthusiasm and self-responsibility.

“And he put it into practice,” King said. “He started from very humble beginnings and worked his way up.”

George B. Irish, who succeeded Thomas as publisher of the Light in 1988, said his skills and passion benefitted the newspaper and San Antonio.

Born and reared in Chicago, Thomas joined the Navy during World War II and served stateside, then worked at newspapers in St. Petersburg, Florida, and Bristol, Tennessee. before coming to San Antonio.

According to news archives, Thomas joined Hearst in 1968 as retail advertising manager of the Light. He was appointed publisher of the Midland Reporter-Telegram and Plainview Herald upon the company’s acquisition of those newspapers. Thomas was publisher of the Light for six years. He then became senior associate publisher. He retired in 1991 and moved to Alabama.

Thomas also resided in Virginia and Ohio during his lifetime, but relished his memories of golfing and hunting dove, quail, and deer in Texas. He often took his beloved Brittany Spaniel, Amy, hunting with him, his daughter recalled. In later years after retirement, he rode, bred and showed Racking Horses, a breed derived from the Tennessee Walking Horse, and loved going on long cruises.

In San Antonio, Thomas frequently played golf at the Sonterra County Club and was a regular customer of Hung Fong, a Chinese restaurant on Broadway founded in 1939. His home in Alabama is filled with plaques and other memorabilia that he received for his service with civic and charity organizations, his daughter said. He was a Mason for 65 years, and supported the Healy-Murphy Center, Boy Scouts, Confederate Air Force, National Conference of Christians, Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word and other nonprofit organizations.

A 1989 column in the Light noted that Thomas even participated in a bachelor auction — with his wife’s consent, of course — to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. As a father, he encouraged his daughters and stepchildren to find ways to make themselves “indispensable,” his daughter said.